Combustion assembly for a furnace and method of use

Abstract

Combustion assembly adapted to be placed in a wall of a furnace including an axis having at least one pair of burners with axes, one oxidant lance arranged between the burners of the pair and having a lance axis and a source of oxidant connected to the burners and to the lance.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A method of melting a charge comprising feeding said charge into a furnace comprising a combustion assembly adapted to be placed in a wall of a furnace comprising an axis comprising 
       at least one pair of burners having axes,  
       one oxidant lance arranged the lance axis being located substantially halfway between the burners of the pair and having a lance axis,  
       a source of oxidant connected to the burners and to the lance, wherein the oxidant of the source feeding the burners and the lance comprises at least 88% of oxygen, wherein oxidant flux emitted by the lance at an impulse which is between 0.5 and 3 times the impulse of the oxidant and fuel flux emitted by a burner of the assembly.  
     
     
       2. Method according to claim  1 , wherein the oxidant comprises an oxygen content of between 90 and 95%. 
     
     
       3. Method according to claim  1  further comprising feeding fuel and oxidant to the burners of an assembly at the same flow rates. 
     
     
       4. Method according claim  1 , comprising feeding the combustion assembly with oxidant in excess, corresponding to a molar concentration of oxygen in dry products of combustion of between 0.5 and 10%. 
     
     
       5. Method according to claim  1  comprising supplying the oxidant by an installation for separating gas from air by adsorption. 
     
     
       6. A method of melting a charge comprising feeding said charge into a furnace comprising a combustion assembly adapted to be placed in a wall of a furnace comprising an axis comprising 
       at least one pair of burners having axes,  
       one oxidant lance arranged between the burners of the pair and having  
       a lance axis,  
       a source of oxidant connected to the burners and to the lance, wherein the oxidant of the source feeding the burners and the lance comprises at least 88% of oxygen, and the fuel and the oxidant are fed to the burners at the same flow rate, wherein oxidant flux emitted by the lance at an impulse which is between 0.5 and 3 times the impulse of the oxidant and fuel flux emitted by a burner of the assembly.  
     
     
       7. A method of melting a charge comprising feeding said charge into a furnace comprising 
       a combustion assembly adapted to be placed in a wall of a furnace comprising an axis comprising  
       at least one pair of burners having axes,  
       one oxidant lance arranged between the burners of the pair and having a lance axis,  
       a source of oxidant connected to the burners and to the lance, wherein the oxidant of the source feeding the burners and the lance comprises at least 88% of oxygen, said lance axis and said burner axes make an angle not exceeding 10°, wherein oxidant flux emitted by the lance at an impulse which is between 0.5 and 3 times the impulse of the oxidant and fuel flux emitted by a burner of the assembly.